It is April and the summer is set in north and central India, the sun is brightly shining on the head with day temperature of approximately 39-41 degree Celsius. Many people remains indoor until and unless they have some important work to be done. The people who travel during the day covered their face with clothes to avoid sun stroke and sun burn. The people are seeking many ways to beat the heat, like Sugarcane juice, lemonade, butter milk, ice cream, smoothies and Ice Gola (crushed ice with sour and sweet syrup poured on it) etc.
Among these mouth –watering varieties, I would like to emphasis one seasonal fruit that we can enjoy in summer only, this fruit is the king of fruits – Mango. It is the national fruit of India, that is why it is called the king of fruit. Mango mostly cultivated in South Asia, and exported to world-wide. Nearly half of the world’s mangoes are cultivated in India. In 2016, global production of Mangoes is 46 million tons and India exported 19 million tons across the world. Though it is cultivated in south Asia but it was reported by Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta in 14th century.
Varieties -There are more than 20 verities of Mangoes cultivated throughout India, among them some are Alphonsos(Maharahstra), Badami(Karnataka), Chaunsa(North India), Dasheri(Uttar Pradesh), Kesar(Gujarat), Langra(North India), Mulgoba(Tamil Nadu), Neelam(South India), Raspuri(Karnataka), Himsagar(West Bengal and Odisha), Totapuri(South India), Banganapalli(Andhra Pradesh). These are most famous and used to eat, there many other varieties those are cultivated and less used. Among these varieties, Alphonsos is the most popular, it has a rich, creamy, tender texture and low in fiber contents sweet in test.
Food -Mango is used in many cuisines in India, unripe and sour mangoes are used in pickle, one of most important side dish of India. A summer drink Aam Panna is also prepared by unripe mangoes to beat the hit of summer. Mango Lassi is popular in south Asia, it is made with mango pulp added with buttermilk and sugar. Aam Ras is the thick mango juice that can be taken with Chapati or Poori. Even in the summer the ice cream of India has a new flavor of mango all the ice cream making companies introduce the mango based ice cream in the summer. Many people eat the mango pulp straight. Dried mango skin and seeds are also used in Ayurvedic medicines. There are many other recipes can be made by mango like juices, smoothies, fruit bars, raspaods etc.
Health Benefits of Mango -Mango is very tasty as well as it has many health benefits, it prevents cancer as it has antioxidant compounds, it reduces cholesterol level as it has fiber, pectin and vitamin C, it improves eye site as it has vitamin A, the tartaric acid, malic acid and a trace of citric acid in it help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body. It also boosts the immune system as it has Vitamin A and C.
So, give yourself a treat of mangoes this summer with many health benefits…………….Enjoy the Summer.